Marae visit reconnects All Blacks with the haka

All Blacks perform the haka before a match against England. File photo / Brett Phibbs

The All Blacks will travel to the Rugby World Cup with a fresh understanding of the haka and what it means to be a New Zealander following a special visit to a Ngati Toa marae last night.

The 31-player squad and members of the management were scheduled to reconnect with Ka Mate, the famous Maori challenge, and its "owners", the Ngati Toa iwi.

Ka Mate was composed by Te Rauparaha, a Ngati Toa chief and war leader, in about 1820, and it has had a close association with the All Blacks, who in 2005 commissioned a new haka, Kapa o Pango, through Derek Lardelli of Ngati Porou.

It is understood that apart from paying thanks and respect to Ngati Toa, an iwi based in Porirua and which extends to Nelson and Blenheim, for the continued use of Ka Mate, the All Blacks would also refer to the newer haka, one which refers more specifically to the team and which they tend to reserve for significant tests.

The All Blacks' haka, and the traditional challenges of other South Pacific teams Tonga (sipi tau), Manu Samoa (siva tau) and Fiji (cibi) will be televised and amplified through speakers at the World Cup, which starts on September 18 at Twickenham when England host Fiji.

The haka has traditionally been a sore point for some in the English media for its perceived psychological advantage, but the approaching global tournament has seen a new appreciation of the challenge among rugby supporters, with the Brownsover Community School in Rugby, Warwickshire, the birthplace of the game, practising their own haka.

Head teacher Elisa Basnett said: "As part of our international and cultural development, the children have loved preparing and performing our 'Superhaka' in celebration of the Rugby World Cup. It has provided a fantastic creative and physical learning experience for all."